ASVAB for Air Force

How important is ASVAB for the Air Force?

If you want to join the U.S. Air Force, ASVAB is the only solution.
It is that one test that will get you enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. However, the U.S. Air Force requires you to score a very high score in this test
to get enlisted.

The test is
conducted by the Department of Defenses and it is common for all
military aspirants. There are 2 versions,
Computerized ASVAB (CAT-ASVAB) and Paper & Pencil ASVAB
(P&P-ASVAB). The subtests are the same but in P&P-ASVAB, there
are 9 subtests; since the Auto Information and Shop Information subtests are
combined to form one subtest - Auto & Shop Information (AS).

ASVAB for the Air Force

As said earlier, Air Forceexpects very high
standards from its potential candidates. Thus, they set the
highest eligibility criterion. There are 10 subtests.
4 of these subtests' (AR, MK, PC & WK) scores are computed to get a
score called the Armed Forces Qualifying Test (AFQT) score. This score
decides if you will get enlisted in the U.S. military or not. The AFQTminimum
cut off is 36 to get enlisted in the Air Force.

Theother subtests' scores are computed using
different formulae to get what are called the composite scores.
These scores are used for screening candidates for different Air
Force jobs.It is called as "Air Force Specialty Code"
or the "AFSC".

The Air Force, before recruiting a candidate, looks for various
qualities. One of the very important qualities it looks for is the
mental
capacity to undergo the training given in the Air Force. This training
is very rigorous. It also looks for people with the right attitude for
the different Air Force jobs. It helps in identifying individuals with
these qualities.

Jobs in the Air Force

The scores secured in this tests
are divided into 4 groups. These groups are called the "Qualification
Areas". The jobs in the Air Force fall under 4 categories. The
composite scores are used to identify candidates who will fit in these
job roles. The qualification areas are
General (G), Mechanical (M), Administrative (A) and Electronic (E).The
subtests and the formulae used for identifying the right candidates for
these areas are,

General - WK+PC+AR

Mechanical - MC+GS+2(AS)

Administrative - WK+PC+MK

Electronic - AR+MK+EI+GS

Questions Types

All the questions asked in the tests
are multiple-choice questions. The table below clearly mentions the number
of questions and the time allotted for each subtest in both the
versions of the ASVAB.

Subtest

Description

No. of Questions

Time Duration (minutes)

CAT-ASVAB

P&P-ASVAB

CAT-ASVAB

P&P-ASVAB

General Science (GS)

Knowledge of physical and biological science

16

25

8

11

Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)

Ability to solve Arithmetic word problems

16

30

39

36

Word Knowledge (WK)

Ability to identify the right meaning of the given word

16

35

8

11

Paragraph Comprehension (PC)

Ability to collect information from the given passage

11

15

22

13

Math Knowledge (MK)

Knowledge of high school math principles

16

25

20

24

Electronics Information (EI)

Electricity and electronics knowledge

16

20

8

9

Auto Information (AI)

Automobile knowledge

11

25 (AS)

7

11(AS)

Shop Information (SI)

Tools and shop technology terminology and practices

11

6

Mechanical Comprehension (MC)

Mechanical and physical principles knowledge

16

25

20

19

Assembling Objects (AO)

Ability to understand how an object will look when its
different parts are put together

16

25

16

15

Conclusion

Passing the ASVAB with good scores is very important for all Air Force aspirants. With good
preparation and a good score in this test, you can join the U.S. Air
Force and realize your dreams.